#Lotus Leaf Bun

[buffetlicious]

A little bits of this and that plus a fried egg and I have made myself a Gua Bao (刈包) or lotus leaf bun sandwich. The char siu are leftovers which mum reheated and the prawn rolls are from this morning trip to the economy rice stall.

[skylinx2o]

Pebble's character design breakdown 🪷

Pebble is an OC tightly tied to Nezha, being adopted by him, and also being a Lotus Pond Dragon, lotus being a main theme for them both.

The most obvious parallel is probably the skirt, both Pebble and Nezha having the upper layer look kinda like petals of the flower.

The second similarity is the colours, the pink and the teal like green. But in Pebble's case, I didn't use any brighter colours like the red to give him a softer feel.

Pebble's design also has more rounded edges. He's a young dragon, and he is a very gentle person due to how he was raised. I tried to reflect that in his design, hence the pretty outfit and not something more practical for fighting.

Going back to the lotus theme, it's most obvious in the hairpins, straight up being the flower. The ribbons under the main piece were supposed to imitate the leafs. The hairpins are also something that was supposed to parallel Nezha's hair buns.

The various ribbons and long fabric are something that reflects Neha's ribbon on the dragon boy too

His little cape thingy and the second layer of the skirt were also supposed to look like lotus leafs. I exaggerated a bit how the edges of the leaf look, making the round bumps more pronounced, but it gives the whole outfit a more interesting shape.

The cape like thing is a parallel to Nezha's chestplate as well

Pebble's tail tip was also supposed to imitate a fresh lotus bud that's yet to bloom. And his eyes are the colour that they are also for a reason. The yellow centre is supposed to look like the centre of a flower.

I made the little dragon's hair long and flowy to show his softer nature and innocence. His hair fades from white to pinkish white to green to imitate the colours of the flower as well.

His horns were also meant to look like roots or wood, going along with the plant theme

And that's basically all flower elements. There's also a very subtle lotus pattern on the shirt of the dress

I added scale patches to his body, mostly because I feel like dragon OCs tend to lack a lot of dragon defining features (and indirectly a way from stopping me to just straight up give him vitiligo because I overuse it a bit, and I thought that scales would be a good way to avoid that but still make him look interesting and also keep some of his water theme. He's a Lotus Pond Dragon after all, not just a lotus dragon).

The glasses weren't the initial plan, but I added them to add more focus to his eyes and take some away from the patches, so eyes don't linger on them too much. Also, another good way to differentiate him from Nezha a bit more

✸ • *. ° · ° • .°• ✯✯ ★ * ° °· . • °★ •

I think I did an okay job tying the design to Nezha while also making Pebble feel like his own unique person and doing a creative spin on the lotus design idea

But it still boils down to Pebble being a papa's boy Xdd

I also made Pebble a dragon because I like the irony of that, with how much beef Nezha has with dragons

Vote me boy! :3 👍

@lmk-oc-competition propaganda ✨

[yayforocs]

Day 5 - Redesigned OC

this sortof fits i think (i hope) - tho it's less of a redesign and more of a design update? and also like. a big character pivot

but this definitely talks about why, i think :V hopefully

it is part of a bigger rp arc, so i tried to make it understandable enough on its own- apologies if it didn't end up making much sense 😅

anyway!

-----------------------------

She had the apartment to herself. This was a good thing, it gave her time to think.

Sarai stood in front of the bathroom mirror, leaning onto the sink counter. Her eyes stared into her own absentmindedly, because her mind was not on her current appearance but on taking in the reality of what she’d so casually- or not so casually, really- agreed to do.

Just this week alone, so much had changed. It started with her deep soul-searching that had ended with her declaration of a haircut and then later that same day having a talk with Matt. Who had tried to kill Charity. Who had almost succeeded. Who was Lotus’s best friend in the world. Who tried to kill only because he’d thought he’d had nothing left. Who she’d then promised to help find what little left he had.

Her eyes focused, and they looked up to her new bun. It sat neatly on top of her head, the slight shift in weight still unfamiliar to her.

‘I wasn’t ready for it when I was fifteen, but I’m ready to do whatever needs to be done to help now. And if it means donning gear again, I’m ok with that,’ she’d said to Lotus that day, before she even knew she’d be talking to Matt later.

She stared at her bun.

It was a fresh start. She was turning a new leaf.

‘I'm gonna hel- we- we're gonna find everyone. A-and I mean that.’

But was she ready for something like this?

This wasn’t just a haircut and a vague promise to help out more, this was- this was upending her whole life because she-

…Well, because she felt guilty.

If Matt had been telling the truth- which he had no reason not to when he was pushed to his lowest- then she had no idea just how many Octolings she’d kept from ever seeing a brighter day again. She knew it hadn’t been purposeful. But it still happened, and over the past few weeks after having the revelation that she’d been cutting off power to respawns that were still being used she really began to understand how Charity had felt.

Ages ago, during Charity’s stint in the Canyon as Agent 4, she’d had a kettle that lost power to its respawns and didn’t know til she’d already gone through most of it. She was a wreck afterwards, near afraid to go back and risk it happening again. But the Zapfish had needed rescuing, so she’d gathered herself up and somehow kept going. Sarai had been able to tell, though, that she wasn’t quite the same after that. She hadn’t seemed to really ‘recover’ from it for a while, possibly not even until after the Zapfish was back.

Sarai remembered wishing she’d known what to say to comfort her friend.

She still wishes she’d known, because maybe she’d be able to repeat the same comforts to herself now.

Sarai hadn’t gone through just one kettle like that.

It’d been the whole Valley.

She didn’t even know what exactly she’d done until Matt spat it at her two months ago, vowing revenge on Squidbeak as a whole, to take them all out except for her, so she’d know what it felt like to lose everyone.

If Lotus hadn’t happened to have been part of his old Octo Army squad, if she hadn’t happened to be part of Squidbeak herself as Agent 8…

What would’ve happened?

Would she have lost Charity?

…Maybe. Maybe not. Matt had refrained before he even knew Lotus was alive, let alone part of the team he’d sworn to kill.

So- so there had to be something there she could work with, right?

Her eyes slipped from the reflection, down to the counter. On it was lying a photo.

Eight Octolings, all gathered around each other, smiling for the camera; Matt and Lotus were the two right up front and center.

‘Oh- oh wow,’ Lotus said, near immediately tearing up. She gingerly took the photo from Sarai, and held it like she might break it if she wasn’t careful. ‘I- I forgot about this. I…’ She went quiet for a minute, staring. ‘Matt gave this to you just now?’

Sarai nodded. ‘He said he had to run and to give it to you.’

‘This is our old squad,’ Lotus said, and Sarai wasn’t sure if she was saying it to explain or just in reminiscing. ‘Before… Matt left.’

Sarai remembered how sad Lotus had looked when she’d said that.

Would Lotus say it the same way about her once she’d gone?

Was she actually going to go?

Her hands clenched into fists. She’d agreed to help bring everyone in this picture back together- was it just guilt speaking or did she genuinely want to help? Her eyes met each Octoling’s in the photo.

Each one was gone, and both Matt and her blamed themselves for it.

So it was only fair they both went to go recover all of them, right?

It was only fair.

Sarai looked up again, back into her reflection. Into her own eyes.

If she was going to do this, now was the time. She was ready for it, and she’d tell herself that until it was true. She was going to pack up her things, let Lotus know she was going to investigate rumors about the Octo Army around Splatsville and that nothing could stop her, and she was going to move out of their shared apartment. She would tell Charity, and she would tell Quin-

Her eyes widened.

Quin.

Cod, how could she tell Quin?

He hated Matt, and even after relaying her conversation she’d had with Matt to him, his opinion still hadn’t shifted. Of course, she hadn’t mentioned her offering to help him- his reaction to everything before that let her know that it wouldn’t have been a good idea. She’d thought he’d come to the same understanding she had- he was her best friend, her counterpart, the only one she'd trusted enough to take over as Agent 3 for her- but he hadn’t.

If he couldn’t understand, even just a little, anything about why Matt had done what he’d done, why would he understand what she was doing? He’d just get angry, and stubbornly demand she stay. And then what?

She closed her eyes, and her head dipped down.

She’d tell Lotus, and she’d tell Charity.

She’d… figure out what to do about telling Quin.

Sarai breathed in, then leaned back off the sink counter.

She grabbed the photo and left the bathroom.

She had some packing to do.

[relmint-draws]

Nezha moment

[ID: A full-bodied illustration of Nezha donning a serious expression on his face. His short black hair falls above his shoulders, some wrapped in twin buns with a red ribbon. Underneath his bangs, a red huadian peeks out in the middle of his forehead. He is wearing a red dudou paired with a green skirt mimicking a lotus leaf. He has a golden ribbon tied around his waist. He is wearing a golden band around his neck accompanied by a pink yunjian that mimics lotus petals. He has golden bands around his ankles and is wearing red and gold arm braces. He floats over his Wind Fire Wheels which look like lotus roots, while clutching onto his Fire-tipped Spear in his left hand, and the Universe Ring in his right. He has the Red Armillary Sash around his shoulders. END ID]

[thedragonholder]

the reunion of lovers

Ever since the Titan war had come to an end the Titans had gone back to their own timelines.

Kung Lao and Kitana kept visiting Liu kang from time to time, but Kung Lao felt empty wondering what he was missing that in all his glorious days as the keeper of the hourglass but seeing Liu kang and Kitana made him feel a pang in his heart.

One day Kung Lao was in the white lotus in his own timeline taking a walk in the garden full of cherry blossoms his eyes went to pond with white lotuses and his heart ached being reminded of her "if only you were here to help me" kung Lao said to himself he looked down sadly his thoughts filled with his past lover he could have visited her in her timeline, but he never had the courage too.

"Lord kung Lao" kung Lao looked behind to see Geras who had just appeared "Geras what brings you here?" kung Lao asked, "I could not help but notice you have been troubled lately" Geras said to Kung Lao "it is nothing Geras" kung Lao said to Geras "are you sure?" Geras asked concerned for him "like I said I am fine" Kung Lao said but Geras did not believe him "it's about a woman isn't it" Geras said to Kung Lao "you read my mind-" "it was the only option to see what you were going through" Geras said to Kung Lao who sighed and had a stern look on his face "fine it is about a girl and it is Hatsune! I have not seen her for eons even if i did bring her in my timeline, but she is not my Hatsune!! she is noy my adorable fox." Kung Lao said to Geras in frustration.

"I understand you are sad, but can't you go see her?" Geras asked "yes I want to go see her, but I cannot just abandon my own timeline, ever since the Shang Tsung incident I have had hope and doubts that if I go see her then I am risking my timeline but seeing Liu kang and Kitana together again made me miss her. Not because I do not want to third wheel but because we had plans before all this happened." kung Lao said as he wiped the tears in his eyes.

"Then why don't you go see her? Lord Liu kang and Kitana are visiting each other because their Geras are watching over their timeline, and I promise you I will take care of your timeline till you return" Geras said, "alright then but do not hesitate to call me back if anything bad happens" Kung Lao said to Geras who nodded "have a safe trip lord kung Lao." Geras said, "thank you for doing this" Kung Lao said to Geras.

Kung Lao had many thoughts in his head as he went to see Hatsune hoping that she will not be in a relationship with a Kung Lao that as not him, but he had hope that their meeting will be alright at least that was what he expected.

The first thing he saw as he had teleported to her timeline using the hourglass was the sight of beautiful autumn leafed trees 'it is her timeline alright' Kung Lao thought to himself he started to look around for her "where could she be?" Kung Lao asked himself as he walked around.

Hatsune lived in an old Japanese mansion hidden in the mountains which kung Lao admired but it was like a maze to him 'how do people even get around here?' kung Lao thought as he was still in the backyard, he suddenly saw something behind the bushes it was a rabbit, but the rabbit was different it was the same rabbit he had given her as a present he knew it because of the mini shaolin hat on the rabbit's head.

The rabbit jumped out of the bushes and hop towards the hourglass as he looked there, he saw a woman her skin was a bit pale and her eyes were amber red she wore an white kimono with red flower embroidery over a black turtleneck it was tucked in a red hakama that went till her knees , she also wore silver arm guards and brown boots, her dark brown hair was in a half up and half down with a small bun on the top tied with a red ribbon she also wore a gold flower clip on the right side but there was one thing he noticed she had orange fox ears and white six white fox tails that had red tips at the end.

That woman was Hatsune "there you are Ryu" Hatsune said picking the bunny up in her arms Kung Lao couldn't help but admire her beauty 'she is beautiful just like the day I last saw her' Kung Lao thought to himself seeing her "what were you doing here..." Hatsune stopped speaking as she looked up to see kung Lao "it has been a long time since we last saw each other isn't it Qīn’ài de" Kung Lao said to her Hatsune put the rabbit down.

she ran towards him kung Lao was happy thinking she had recognized him and was going to give him a hug only to get punched in the face "ow!!" Kung Lao said to her as he had fell down Hatsune created fox fire in her hand "who are you!? how dare you impersonate kung Lao!!" Hatsune shouted Kung Lao sighed he kicked feet causing her to trip and fall on her back Kung Lao immediately stood up and got on top of her he pinned her hands away "what are you doing-" "Hatsune it is me kung Lao your lover!! before we merged timelines I-" "Let me go!!" Hatsune shouted at him "I won't until you listen to me!!" kung Lao shouted at her "how am I supposed to believe you are my kung Lao and not an evil counterpart?" Hatsune asked him "do you remember the promise I made you way back before we fought kronika that if we survive this and are still together, I will take you out on that date at wuxia's restaurant and I clearly remember you hugging me and telling me that if the date goes well, I can get that kiss" kung Lao said clearly remembering the promise.

Hatsune stopped struggling as the fox fire went away from her "you clearly remember but you made a lot of promises before the fight..." Hatsune said Kung Lao got off from her and stood up Hatsune also got up "I know you won't believe me this quickly, but I have one last thing I want to do before I leave" Kung Lao said Hatsune looked at him and before she could speak kung Lao pulled her in for a kiss on the lips Hatsune was shocked she wanted to push him away but his lips felt familiar she couldn't help but give in and wrapped her arms around his neck she had kissed back.

Kung Lao pulled away from the kiss and stepped back Hatsune opened her eyes to see kung Lao gone she felt something on her hair and looked to see a white lotus flower, but it was bloomed with magic she blushed and looked in front to see him gone "maybe he was my Lao he remembered the promise when we were alone together at the ship" Hatsune said to herself the rabbit jumped into her arms and Hatsune held the rabbit close.

Kung Lao had returned to his timeline frustrated he passed Geras on the way to his room and slammed the door shut in anger he could not believe even after their sacred promise she did not remember now he started to think that he had plans and she didn't right now all kung Lao wanted to do was forget about the meeting, but he did not want to forget about their kiss.

It has been a week since their meeting and kung Lao was still in a bad mood about it he felt sadness and anger in his heart, but he also felt a bit of happiness he was currently standing near the fountain of white lotuses thinking about what happened "lord kung Lao" kung Lao heard Geras's voice, but he did not turn around "I need to be alone Geras" Kung Lao said "there is someone who wants to see you-" "tell them to come back later" Kung Lao said annoyed he heard Geras leave and sighed "Lao-" "what!?" kung Lao said angrily as he turned around to see standing in front of him was Hatsune and it was his Hatsune.

"That is a nice fountain, love the backyard it looks really pretty" Hatsune said to Kung Lao "why are you here?" Kung Lao asked Hatsune "I came here to see you" she said "you wasted your time." Kung Lao said as he turned around facing the lotus fountain again "I am sorry" Hatsune said to Kung Lao "sorry isn't going to fix it, I thought we had plans, but I guess I was the only one" kung Lao said not sparing a glance at Hatsune.

Hatsune walked to kung Lao and hugged him from behind "I know I should have known it was you by that promise since we were both alone, but something was not right in that promise" Hatsune said to kung Lao who scoffed "yea right, I remember that promise correctly because I made it" Kung Lao said "but you did not remember that I said I was going to give you more than a kiss" Hatsue said "maybe I did not say it because I hoped it would have happened if you believed me which you didn't" Kung Lao said to Hatsune "I-" "Just leave" kung Lao said to Hatsune she kissed his back before going.

"I still love you" Hatsune said before she left using the hourglass Kung Lao was angry and frustrated, he did not know what to do and he regretted not giving her a chance when she was here, he regretted not saying I love you back he wanted to hug her when she hugged him Kung Lao knew he needed to do something about this and he needed to do it now.

Hatsune was back in her own timeline she started to cry feeling regret and pain in her heart "I should have believed him; I should not have pushed him away." Hatsune said to herself crying "he is right I am always a dumb kitsune!!" Hatsune said to herself she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder she was about to grab and flip the person "relax it is just me, my dumb kitsune" Hatsune looked behind and was shocked it was Kung Lao, her Lao "and you really are stupid sometimes thank god you admit it-" kung Lao suddenly landed on the ground as Hatsune jumped on him and hugged him close as she was on top of him kung Lao sat up and hugged her back Hatsune sat up as well and looked at him "I am sorry" both of them said together.

Two looked at each other and laughed for a second before looking at each other "how is it you are so adorable" Kung Lao said to Hatsune "I am not that adorable Lao Kun" Hatsune said "you are to me my dumb kitsune" Kung Lao said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist "I now regret saying that out loud" Hatsune said putting her hands on his shoulders "at least you admit I was right" Kung Lao said Hatsune rolled her eyes at him.

kung Lao and Hatsune made eye contact they both started to lean in their lips met in a passionate kiss after spending eons away from each other they were reunited again in each other's arms kissing each other under the tree with autumn leaves feeling the cold breeze pass by.

the couple kept kissing for a few minutes Hatsune felt his tongue against her lip and she slightly opened her mouth as their kiss started to get more passionate and heated Kung Lao's hands started to slowly move around her body caressing her waist.

after a while they pull away "where is your room?" Kung Lao asked her as they were breathing heavily "second floor to the left." Hatsune said to kung Lao he stood up with Hatsune in his arms and carried her to her inside the mansion.

The next morning Kung Lao woke up at sun rise his eyes went to woman beside him both of them naked on the bed he looked at Hatsune who was sleeping peacefully seeing scars on her arms and a scar on her stomach he smiled softly admiring her she was laying on her back asleep as her hand was holding his Kung Lao caressed her cheek and decided to sleep.

Hatsune woke up after five minutes to see Kung Lao asleep his back facing hers, she turned on her side facing him and put her hand on his back tracing the scar he had her forehead touched his back and she kissed the scar Kung Lao woke up and turned to face her he pulled her into his arms as they both cuddled each other feeling whole Kung Lao kissed her forehead Hatsune nuzzled into his chest and kung lao kissed her cheek softly.

"morning Qīn’ài de"

"morning koibito"

[dragimalsdaydreams]

[image ID: 4 images of characters from the game Genshin Impact. the first 2 images show Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the first being a screencap of her appearance in one of the 2d “storybook”-style cutscenes, and the second being a digital drawing redesign. the next 2 images show Lesser Lord Kusanali, the first being a front-view, full-body screencap of her in-game avatar, and the second being a digital drawing redesign.

Rukkhadevata in-game is a tall, pale-skinned woman with long, white, wavy hair with pale green accents, styled loose with a single braid down one side. while not visible in this screencap, she has an “anime”-proportioned face, with large eyes + small features typical of Genshin female designs, but she also has long, pointed elf ears. she’s wearing a long, white, european-style dress with leaf motifs and green-gold accents, along with some gold/green, leafy jewelry in her hair.

the Rukkhadevata redesign is a tall, dark-skinned woman with long, white, wavy hair pulled into a loose bubble braid with some yellow/green leaves strewn throughout. she has round chin and a tall, aquiline nose which arches smoothly up into her forehead, and similar long elf ears as the original design. she’s wearing a green/yellow sari with gold/green leafy accents, with a white half-shirt + loose pants underneath, which have dark brown, bark-like eye-shaped accents. she also has white makeup and body paint which matches the eye motifs on the underclothes. she’s wearing various pieces of gold jewelry with red/blue accents, thick red anklets with gold bells, and a few blue lotuses on her belt, hair, and hand-chain jewelry. extra text about her eye-shaped bindi and eye accents reads, “bindi pupil always follows line of sight. other eye spots can also follow sight, but usually don’t.”

Kusanali in-game is a short, thin, pale-skinned toddler with long, white, wavy hair pulled into a side ponytail with some gold/green leafy jewelry. her face is proportioned similarly to the original Rukkhadevata, but more exaggerated. she’s wearing a short, European-style dress with leaf motifs and gold/green accents, some gold jewelry, and a white/green cape draping off the back of her shoulders.

the Kusanali redesign is a short, chubby, dark-skinned toddler, with long, white, wavy hair pulled into a side-bun with a few yellow/green leaves, which is tied off with a green, leaf-shaped wrap. she has a similar face shape and aquiline nose to the Rukkhadevata redesign, but chubbier and rounder. she’s wearing a white/green, no-sleeve tunic with pale gold branch designs, over top loose yellow pants, with a green/yellow, leaf-accented sash over the front of her shoulders/throat to drape over her back. she’s also wearing gold jewelry with red/blue accents, a single red anklet with gold bells, and a blue lotus in her hair. an extra doodle of her has a few changed details, with text that reads, “while imprisoned: closed lotus ((referring to the now-closed lotus bud in her hair)). closed bindi ((referring to the eye-shaped bindi that is now closed)). chain motif on throat, wrists, and ankles ((referring to the glowing, neon green chain symbol on her throat)).”

end ID]

hello friends and enemies, I have returned with another Sumeru character~ I absolutely love Dendro as an element, but Kusanali (and, by extension, Rukkhadevata) is just so painfully boring, I couldn’t let her design stand as the representation of Dendro

extra design notes under the cut~

now, I know I usually edit in-game avatars rather than fully redraw them, so this is a lil different from usual. I usually do this b/c I have particular headcanons for body/facial shapes that I think would usually distract me from the actual focus of the redesigns-- the clothes (and sometimes animal features). but since Rukkhadevata doesn’t have an in-game avatar to edit, I just decided to redraw both Rukkhadevata and Kusanali for consistency~

as usual for Sumeru characters, I looked to their names for hints about the cultural inspirations I should use, and it looks like they’re supposed to be Indian, so that’s where I started. while I tried to research more on my own (mostly frantic googling of, “Indian [x jewelry item] significance”), I apologize if I got anything wrong in my redesign process-- and please feel free to let me know if I did!

anyways, Rukkhadevatā is pretty straightforward for Genshin Rukkhadevata-- tree deity, makes sense. in combination with one of her in-game titles, “Goddess of the Woods”, I decided to go heavier on the tree symbolism. specifically, I thought it would be fun to keep the white/green color palette by giving her a birch-bark look! and lucky me, India does have native Himalayan birch! and even more fitting, that bark used to be used as paper for scriptures/writings~

now, I’ll admit, I was partly driven by my own dragonsona’s Aspen-inspired design, so I may over-exaggerated the “eye” spots on birch bark. but please forgive me, eye motifs are just too good for a wisdom goddess, y’know? especially in combination with the white lashes + eye makeup, and giant white pupils to make those peepers POP-- when she looks at you she Sees you

as for the note about the eye-shaped bindi, since the bindi is supposed to represent the seat of wisdom and third eye, I thought it would make sense for the literal God of Wisdom’s bindi to be treated as a literal third eye that she sees through (prolly not visual sight though-- prolly something similar to elemental sight?)

and this is just a silly, extra headcanon with this design, but I imagine Rukkhadevata having a really intense, blank “thinking face”, and while the rest of her eye spots usually don’t move, their pupils will suddenly snap to the object of her interest when she’s in this state. she’s usually pretty good about displaying more exaggerated facial expressions (especially towards her human subjects), but she’s naturally more monotone/blank, and sometimes she’ll just slip into it when she’s intensely observing. though sometimes she’ll do the eyespots + blank face on purpose to make a point to someone who’s perhaps being a bit too cocky, to impress upon them the weight of being Seen and Known. this is also why I drew Kusanali’s face kinda blank, b/c as a toddler, she’s not used to masking her flat aspect demeanor. hell, maybe she won’t even feel the need to as she grows up, with people around her who understand (autistic solidarity with the Traveler and like half of the Sumeru characters tbh <3 )

now, even more than Rukkhadevatā, I was really interested in what the Aranara call her-- Queen Aranyani, who irl is described as wearing ankle bells, and dancing through the forest. I know that dancing is more associated with the Goddess of Flowers in-game, but I really love the idea of dance as a strong cultural motif in Sumeru, so I gave Rukkhadevata some ghungroos, or musical bell anklets

I considered a few different sari styles for Rukkhadevata, but I gravitated towards the shorter style with loose pants underneath, so I could show off more of the birch-bark designs underneath the more leafy sari. and what can I say, I’m not immune to the pleasant shape design of loose, comfortable pants, haha

as for the jewelry, a lot of what I found seemed to be specifically associated with brides/weddings. I tried to filter out these items from my search, but some items seemed to have mixed bridal significance, or their meanings had shifted over time. the hand-chain hath phool in particular was a little unclear to me at some points. I apologize if I accidentally made Rukkhadevata a bride, please let me know if I did, haha,,

considering the cultural significance of the lotus in India, I thought a few lotuses made sense for Rukkhadevata’s design, and I just used the in-game Nilotpala Lotus as reference for the color

I went through several different hair designs for Rukkhadevata, most of them being some sort of braid or bun. I settled on the bubble braid mostly because of the pleasant shape design, and to set her braid style apart from the Raiden Shogun’s braid style, since I didn’t want two of the Archons looking too similar. I did end up giving Kusanali a bun though, partly b/c it’s cute, and partly cus’ it looks a bit like a “sprout” with the tips of her green hair sticking out of it-- fitting for a little sproutling! the leafy wrap at the base makes up for the lost ponytail silhouette, I think

speaking of Kusanali, I based her outfit off of basic Indian kid’s fashion I was able to google, which seem to mostly be tunics + some sashes sometimes. what shocked me was that the kid NPCs in Sumeru actually have somewhat accurate clothing designs for Indian kids... sure woulda been nice if that was true for the playable characters too LMAO

I replaced the birch-bark patterns with branch-like designs on Kusanali’s tunic, just to set the two designs arpart. Kusanali’s a different person and different Archon now, so she’ll prolly grow into a whole new set of motifs from her predecessor, despite the obvious similarities

and as for the imprisoned notes, it makes sense to me if Kusanali’s power is visually stifled in her design, via the closed lotus and bindi. but mostly, I just think it’s kinda fucked up that her in-game avatar still incorporates the Akademiya’s chain motif! what the hell! that should be a temporary chain, not a permanent fashion decision, geeze...

[key2solve]

Non-binary and male first names and pronouns for a flower-themed character/person? Also, anything that could fit the vibes of this image? Got a sys member who wants an alternative name since he feels detached from his source 😄

yep! sounds good. also sorry for my massive fucking hiatus i got depressed /lh (and also stopped fronting as much, suggestions under the cut

plant themed names ! (most are flower related)

thorn/thorne

thistle

dandelion

fior/fiorello

leslie

holly/hollis

fennel

ivy

laurel

larkspur

sorrel

tulip

bay (bay tree)

alder

clematis

acacia

cedar

calix/calyx

fern

reed

aster

heath

cosmo

lotus

oleander

florence/florent/florian

hyacinth

huckleberry/huck (if you don't mind being compared to that story i had to read in 7nth grade /hj lh)

indigo

coleus

ambrose

calla

dianthus

calendula 

lindon

briar

bloom

orris (root of an iris)

vetiver

heliotrope

hemlock

mondrona

penrose

admon

jacaranda/jac (a type of flowering tree)

cress

rue

valerian (this flower has also been used medicinally a lot if you want to feel like a healer :] )

amaryllis/amar/ryllis

names themed off that image

moon

peach

leaf

mark

lotus

star

atlas

apollo

crescent

pollen

arche

roz

rosewell

roswell

rosewood

rosen

rouge

blush (like the color)

razz

sky

thulian

pronouns themed off plants & that image

star/stars

dew/dews

pollen/pollens

pol/pollen

soft/softs

petal/petas

fresh/freshs

bloom/blooms

sky/skys

xe/xem

bun/buns

warm/warms

stem/stems

cloud/clouds

☁️/☁️s

🌙/🌙s

🌺/🌺s

[astroboots]

It was inside this French market that has all kinds of food so French is not accurate. I got a sampler so I could try everything. I enjoyed everything but the bao buns are my favorite.

I just looked it up: 1x Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai, 1 × Shrimp Dumpling, 4 x Chicken Dumplings, 1 x BBQ Chicken bao bun, 1 × BBQ Pork bao bun. Absolutely delish.

I’m glad you’re feeling better!

oooh that sounds so yum!!!

If you ever want my recommendations for dim sum these are my absolute go to's (you'll see that a lot of them are Miggy's fav too)

glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf wrap

turnip cake

salted egg yolk custard buns

egg tarts

cheung fan

zhaliang (Cruller-stuffed rice-noodle rolls)

chive dumplings

Wu gok (fried taro dumplings)

[curlyfries967-blog]

Made With Love

Word Count 3.0k+

Fluff and slight smut

Plot: just a beautiful night out at the Wangshu Inn with none other than Xiao

 The air was filled with hints of spices and a sweet nutty fragrance. Fresh moist green herbs are gathered by a skillful hand. Every leaf on the plant was plucked effortlessly and placed into a small bowl. The sound of gurgling pots, the whistling of a tea kettle piped through the kitchen. The fridge a small petite woman opens it and removes a ceramic bowl with a cold white jelly like substance residing in it. She placed it on the counter next to the mint she procured earlier. Her teal eyes flicker to the bubbling pots. She dashes to the stove stirring the two large pots boiling. She casually tucks a long black strand of wavy hair behind her ear, it had escaped from her messy bun. Carefully she brings a wooden spoon up to her lips, and carefully blows, so it wouldn't burn her tongue. A delightful hum escapes her after tasting the concoction she created, "Mm!" The woman with the dark long wavy hair reaches to the side of the stove towards the wooden countertop, collecting bento boxes. She poured the creamy yellow substance into the container and placed it back, obtaining another bento box and doing the same thing she did previously. This time she places both the bento boxes next to each other and adds a few lotus seeds for garnish. She seals the bento boxes and places them in a cloth bag. Next she tended towards the tea and placed them in a container holding the hot liquid. She stashes them in with the other containers holding the food she sealed. Finally, she turned around and focused her attention on the refrigerated tofu she had prepared from the other day. Ai carefully slices it and sprinkles a little bit of crushed almonds on top of it. She then adds a couple of mint leaves to make it look presentable and delicious. Finally she puts the lid on top of it. Wrapping it in a dark emerald green cloth; tying it up with a Royal purple bow. She admired her hard work. 

Today was another day she gets to spend her evening with a certain lover of hers. A very aloof individual if you will. Ai took an apprenticeship under the chef at the inn. She befriended Verr, Smiley, and the innkeeper. And with time she became well acquainted with the adaptus, too even though it took some time. Although, she must admit the first attempts of getting to know him were very difficult and challenging; as he would remain hidden when she went to go seek him. She left food out for him when she created new dishes. The bowl and plates would reappear empty while the chopsticks were placed neatly on the ware. But he was nowhere to be seen. So this exchange went on for a while. What she gathered about him was that he had a sweet tooth towards certain things she would create. And for something that had meat in it he would finish some but not all of it. 

"Ai, we're going to be late." A voice interrupts her thoughts from behind her and she immediately leaps into the air absolutely startled. When she turns she sees a familiar teal being. 

"Xiao, please don't sneak up on me!" 

The gentleman that had suddenly appeared behind her looks down at his black shoes eyebrows furrowing and immediately says, "My apologies."

 "No, no, don't apologize my Sweet. My mind was just in another space." She walks over and cups his face with a gentle hold. He nuzzled into her warm familiar touch. 

  "Are you feeling well?" his golden orbs scanned the tawny beige woman before him. His black gloved hand overlaps her touch pulling her fingers to his lips. He brushed his lips over her hand and kissed it.

 "Yes, I'm just excited about this evening. We'll finally spend some time together." She beams. He felt a pang of guilt build up in his chest; for making her feel neglected. He did try to finish up the commissions that were given to him, and return to her in time. An annoyed sigh escaped his lips and he felt his ears heat up. Looking at Ai he couldn't understand why a mortal took such a liking to him. There's other beings in this world yet she still adores him to no end. When they first met he'll admit he was very distant and disinterested. He had absolutely no reason to get involved with the likes of a mortal. During one of the missions Zhongli arrived with Xiao battered and beaten up, the enemies of course were taken care of and disposed of properly. Ai and the innkeeper rushed the men into beds. And from that point Ai took care of them both and watched over Xiao after Zhongli recovered before him. She bathed, fed,and nursed him back to health while he was under. From what Zhongli informed the warrior she had never left his side to his knowledge. That took him by surprise. 

"Let's get going." He urged. 

Ai takes a hand into her hair and unties her hair piece. A wave of dark messy hair cascaded around past her shoulders. Her gold eyes look down at her kitchen garments. "Urgh, I'm sorry I'm not presentable. I was going to change but I got carried away. " She sighs, gesturing to her project. She had a long brown skirt on that stopped at the Claves. A new white long sleeve shirt as well she wore the same uniform as the rest of the inn workers. Taking hold of the food she had warped in a cloth. 

"You're fine as you are, there's no need to worry," Xiao reassured as he held out his arms towards her. He scoped Ai up into his arms. She giggled nervously, always surprised by how effortless he made it look. To him honestly this was nothing. Ai felt his breath tickled against her cheek and ear. "Hold tight." She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed herself hard against his steady chest. Xiao chuckles lightly, noticing how small and tiny she felt to him. He crouched and then A whirl of wind and darkness swirled around them. With a THUMP. Xiao lands on the highest and thickest part of the tree of the inn. The sound of leaves gently rustling surrounded them. He carefully sets her down but holds her steadily until Ai finds her bearings. 

"Oh, wow we are really really high." She squeaked gold eyes looking straight down. The people beneath her were small and microscopic. One misstep could be the end. He noticed quickly how her face went as white as a ghost. Her knee wobbled like a newborn fawn learning to walk for the first time. This was nothing to him. He's climbed mountains conquered heights, which mankind has never seen before.  He takes the meal into one hand and still holds on to her other hand.

"I won't let you go," he promised, squeezing her death grip of a hold reassuringly, while guiding her to sit near the edge of the wooden branch. How interesting he thinks to himself that something he considered to be insignificant seems so terrifying to her. 

"Please, don't." 

"You can sit right here," he directed, Gently tugging her down as he sat himself down next to her with his gloved hand. Once she settled down she let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she had held. However she lost her breath yet again; looking at the beautiful scene before the duo. The sky was hued pink, warm orange, and as purple crept up to consume the last remaining warm colors of the sky. The sun was returning to the west to rest behind the mountains in the distance. Cranes flew here and there. The trees rustled softly as a gentle breeze tickled by. And down below she could see the soft glow of lanterns in the distance and light chatter of the people. 

"How beautiful," she exclaimed, turning to look at the yaksha next to her with her bright golden eyes and a very warm smile. Quickly, Xiao turns away to avoid making eye contact with her. He focused his cat-like gaze on the mountains in the distance. As long as he's been with her she still made him get flustered easily. How absurd he thought to himself. The wind ruffled up his multicolored hair that framed his light colored face. It was almost as if the wind was threatening to expose his flushing features to the girl next to him. 

"Shall we eat?" Then she pointed to the meal on his left side. 

"Let's." He brings the sealed meal over and places it on his lap. He noticed the green shade that the meal was wrapped in. And carefully takes the purple bow apart. "I can't phantom how you managed to accomplish this." He comments intrigued as he unwrapped it. He hands her a container of the bento box. 

"Unlike you I enjoy cooking," she said, "I'm so thankful that you introduced me to Xiangling. You're going to love this," taking her share of the bento from the man sitting next to her. She opened her box. 

"That smells delicious," he comments practically drooling after he got hit by the wave of aroma. 

"This is Crab Roe Tofu. You're a very picky eater so I settled for something that you're familiar with." 

He scowled eyebrows furrowing together, his amber catlike eyes flickering to the container in his possession.  He didn't think so; he just didn't like to eat meat in a product of buns. The concept itself was confusing and a waste of time. But he was very appreciative towards her cooking. He took a spoon out and brought it to lips. He cautiously took a bite and immediately melted after. 

"You really out done yourself, Ai," he praised quickly, taking more bites.

"I'm glad you like it," she hums delightedly and scoops a couple bites into her mouth. The two beings watch the dusk claim the sky. Dusk then was slowly followed by the night moon and its stars glittering across the sky. Side by side they idly admired the view. Lanterns begin to be lit below them; they resembled fireflies from above the luscious tree. The warm glows they produced reflected in her eyes sparkling with awe. Ai was still startled by the height, so she scoots closer to the yaksha. Her thighs touched his, her shoulder touched his, finally she rested her head on his tattooed arm. Heat radiates from her points of contact to his cool body. He could have sworn he felt his blood boil under his skin. A sense of desire bubbles up in him. He's been away from her too long. Touch starved. His body leaned closer to her seeking for more warmth. He leans in resting his chin on her dark wavy hair. 

"I've missed you dearly, my Sweet," she sighed softly, taking his hand into her own.

"I didn't mean to be gone for too long," he mumbles under his breath , "Not a second went by where you weren't on my mind." Truth be told, he didn't like being away from Ai, period. She was only mortal; her time in this world was limited. In a blink of an eye before he realized she would probably be gone. He was afraid of being alone. So yes he did cherish his moments with her. And oddly enough he did come to understand why Zhongli enjoyed his days off looking at birds, floral, ect. It's the little things in life that matters. But being apart for two weeks is much too long to his liking.

"Did you want to try out dessert?" She asks tentatively, her voice oozing with honey, "I made it for you."

A soft smile graces his hard features distracting him from his lonesome thoughts, "Please" She feeds him his favorite, Almond Tofu. She lifts up a spoon and brings it towards his lips. Xiao absentmindedly opens his mouth and lets her feed him. His gaze never left her face. Ai felt her face heat up gradually as she fed him. Way the moon would reflect off of this porcelain skin made him look eerily handsome.  He had his moments where he would stare her down. But this was intense. Tremors gently formed in her hand as she continued to feed him. She jabs the spoon to the corner of his mouth. She gasps horrified, "I'm so sorry-"

Annoyed, he winced, thumbing the corner of his mouth and wiping it clean with his glove. There's still traces of the almond tofu in the corner of his mouth. Ai quickly places both hands on each side of his face. Pulling him close to her lips, she kissed the corner where she jabbed him with the metallic silverware. Most definitely not what he wanted. He had hoped she would kiss his lips. It was very sudden and unexpected of her; Xiao knocked the almond Tofu onto her clothes with his knee by accident. The woman lets out a defeated giggle. He was absolutely mortified and caught off guard. He swears under his breath, throwing a hand to his forehead. The warrior immediately looks around for something to help her. Laying right beside his thigh he spots the purple cloth that was used to keep the food together. He grabbed it and attempted to clean her stained skirt. Making it worse he smears it in. He hitched the outfit higher exposing her thighs bare as he balled her fabric into his fist. A cool breeze caressed her golden legs, causing her to squirm uncomfortably. He was completely dedicated to fixing the situation at hand. Delicate hands placed themselves on his rough calloused hands that were busy working, "Why don't we take a bath together?" She suggested. He blinks a few times his eyes looking at her bare legs slowly going up to the wrinkled fabric in his possession, and then up to her eyes.  The man before her wordlessly nods agreeing. 

The duo returned back to the inn room. The warrior had his own space provided for him courtesy of the inn and Liyue. When Xiao first brought Ai over she was floored at the accommodations they had provided for him. A large bed with a canopy hanging above it. Two basic nightstands accompanying each side of the mighty bed offered to him. His collection of staff that he’s acquired over time neatly organized against the wall. The amber eyed warrior used to grumble that it was a waste of space provided to him. He didn’t need rest nor shelter from the rain. He was conditioned to brave the elements which unfazed him. However, Those complaints went out the window when he was blessed multiple times with pressing Ai as much as he could into the mattress beneath them. He enjoyed watching her crumble from a lust filled high before him, pillows scattered around them in the bedroom. 

Ai waltzed to the bathroom humming a cheerful tune. The yaksha silently stalked behind her. The Bathroom looked like a magnificent nursery. Huge leaves towering over both ends of a large tub. The amount of beautiful emerald shrubbery that filled the room was breathtaking as well as refreshing. The large tub accompanied the front of the glass French doors which lead to the balcony. The night sky was alive and twinkling, begging to peak behind the glass doors. As if the stars were excited to tell the moon the secrets of the night between these two beings, you could even hear gentle chirps of cricket and low hoots of owls outside. Surrounding the tub and majority of the bathroom is nothing but an eden look alike, Vibrant and luscious plants in various sized pots. The air was filled with mint, berries, and lilies that Xiao helped Acquire for Ai while he was on his travels. If she wasn't a chef Xiao could have seen mortals mistake her for a Dendro user, maybe even an Archon. 

The bathroom counter had their clothes prepped and neatly folded on the elegant his and her sink countertop. 

“Allow me to run the bath,” he insists, moving towards the tub. The Multi colored hair gentleman is kneeling on the wooden floor, reaching out to grab the metallic handle; and with a twist of his wrist the roar of water fills the quiet space around them. 

Ai sneaks up behind him and causally warps both her arms under his own and securely around his ribcage, her hands resting on his toned clothed chest.  The Yaksha leans back into her touch his hands finding hers and lacing his gloved fingers through hers. "You are such a gentleman," She purrs gently into his ear, her lips lightly brushing against his lobe. "Can you please undress me?" Her mouth, oh so sinfully, sent a wave of heat slowly inching down from his ear to his lower abdomen. 

He's quick to twist and pivot on his feet; he sits back on the edge of the tub pulling Ai into his lap. A nervous giggle finds itself escaping from her lips, a slutry smile forms on her lips as she peers down into his beautiful whiskey eyes. Her beautiful, dark, and bouncy locks cascaded around his face like a waterfall. She straddles him, her knees resting on the edge of the tub and a delicate hand placed on his chest.  "Let me offer you some assistance," he shoots her a boyish grin. 

His gloved hands skimmed under her skirt to her bottom cupping and kneading it to his touch. His fingers move to the hem of the dress and  effortlessly succeeds in removing her garments by pulling up on the fabric. He tossed the uniform to the side of the bathroom. Her dark brown hair tousled about her shoulders hiding her skin from his view. Ai's breasts were held comfortably by her bra. His golden eyes narrowed, desiring to see all of her before him. Xiao reached over to one strap he trailed his finger down lazily tugging it torturously off her shoulder ,his eyes greedily examined her neck and collar bone. To his disappointment the purple, red, and pink lovemarks he left on her previously were faded and completely gone. He tugged the bra further down releasing a breast from a cup. He was taking much too long for Ai, a small frustrated sigh escapes her lips. She arches attempting to guide a breast into his mouth. To which he simply pressed a light little kiss on to her hardened bud of a nipple. "Xiao!" She huffs.

 "You dare rush me?" He feigns a small scowl on his lips as he growls softly, "I'm undressing you as you requested, my love." 

[rosethornewrites]

From the next fic in the try to praise the mutilated world series.

—————

For the repast, Jiang Cheng made sure to include the spicy fish balls from a market stall he knows Wei Wuxian likes—extra spicy, of course, so much so that the stall popo, who’s been there since they were kids, gave him a knowing look and approving nod. He even got enough bland snacks, like lotus seed buns, to satisfy Lan Wangji’s palate. He didn’t expect the kid, and doesn’t know his preferences anyway, but there are plenty of snacks available to choose from. There is also, of course, lotus tea and Hefeng wine, just to show Wei Wuxian his creation is still made at Lotus Pier, still valued.

Jiang Cheng was being petty when he included it, but he’s glad he did when Wei Wuxian’s expression shifts from that empty smile to something more real, a sort of touched nostalgia that brings him back to the day that idiot came up with the idea after using a lotus leaf as cup for his wine.

He realizes he needs to go through the annual sales records since Wei Wuxian’s fake defection and calculate his share of the profits, along with the sales of all his talismans—he’ll be damned if his brother lives off his husband’s purse strings when he’s brought in so much money to Lotus Pier even in death.

[formeryelpers]

Dim Sum House, 754 Bockman Rd, San Lorenzo, CA 94580

This is a very small place takeout dim sum spot but the quality is higher than your typical takeout dim sum shop. They make everything from scratch and seem committed to quality. And, it’s fresher than what you usually get. Items are freshly steamed to order and served piping hot. They also have frozen items. Some items need to be preordered like the zhongzi and steamed radish cake.

The wide variety of offerings includes chicken feet, siu mai, har gow, XLB, other dumplings, spring rolls, taro puffs, steamed buns, baked buns, rice noodle rolls, sponge cake, turnip cakes, mochi, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, etc. A small order with three pieces generally $4.49 - $4.89. I bought a few things for my father and everything looked so good.

Glutinous rice rolls: we used to get these in Oakland but they were always room temperature. Dim Sum House’s rice rolls were served hot. The exterior is like a steamed white bun and the interior is stuffed with seasoned sticky rice with dried shrimp. It’s chewy, soft, savory. So good!

If you’re smart, you’ll call ahead to order. Note, there’s very little parking (only two spots in front) and the street is crazy busy. You’ll have to wait outside for your order. Unfortunately, there is no place to sit and enjoy your dim sum feast.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

By Lolia S.

[buffetlicious]

Mum’s cooked this pot of Braised Pork Belly with shiitake mushrooms and garlic cloves. She also steamed some Lotus Leaf Buns (荷叶包) or Gua Bao (刈包) to wrap the braised meat. Had two of these sandwiches for dinner to which I also added a few slices of pickled daikon.

[guardians-of-the-food]

Lotus Leaf Buns

[beeglobe]

Very Tasty Lotus Leaf Bun Singapore

Get a very tasty Lotus leaf Bun Singapore at Beeglobe. Beeglobe is a leading manufacturer and supplier of Chinese Lotus leaf bun, we are making this food with the fully hygiene process then safely pack to distribute. Our Lotus leaf bun ingredients is Flour, Baking Powder, Water, Sugar, Vegetable Oil and Yeast. Please place order and get very tasty lotus leaf bun in Singapore.

[najia-cooks]

Vegan pork and apple gua bao with pickled carrots

"Gua bao" (literally, "cut bread") consist of a savory filling--usually pork belly with condiments and toppings--in a fluffy, steamed "lotus leaf bun." Other types of bao include baozi, which are sealed shut around their filling (this type of bao is usually meant when the term "bao" is used without any qualifiers). The term "bao bun" is actually an example of the kind of tautology common in bilingual borrowing, since "bao" already means "bun"!

In my take on this dish, a classic pork-and-apple filling is transformed by the addition of miso paste and a hit of fruity, floral Sichuan peppercorn. The sweetness and acidity of pickled carrots stand out wonderfully against the background of the savory, umami filling. For the filling base you may use any type of vegan pork substitute, or TVP.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

Makes 12 bao.

EQUIPMENT:

A large skillet

A grater or food processor

A bamboo or metal steamer, or a wok / large, deep pan / large pot, with a closely fitting lid

Parchment paper

INGREDIENTS:

For the bao:

1 1/2 cup (300g) all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp (9g) cornstarch

1 tsp (4g) active dry yeast

1 tsp (6g) sugar

1 Tbsp neutral oil

About 2/3 cup (140 ml) lukewarm water

For the filling:

380g (13oz) vegan sausage, or 200g TVP hydrated with 140mL vegetarian pork or beef broth from concentrate

1/2 medium tart apple, washed and cored

1 small yellow onion

1 stalk celery (optional)

2 tsp white miso paste

1 tsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp vegetarian oyster sauce

1 tsp honey or agave (optional)

1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground

1/4 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp neutral oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1-inch chunk (10g) ginger, washed (no need to peel)

1 tsp rice vinegar

For the pickled carrots:

3 medium carrots (180g)

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

To steam and assemble:

1 Tbsp neutral oil

Romaine lettuce, chopped peanuts, or other desired toppings

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the pickled carrots:

1. Julienne three carrots and stuff them down into a medium-sized jar.

2. Combine white and rice vinegar with salt and sugar in a small pot and heat, whisking occasionally, until vinegar is simmering and sugar is dissolved.

3. Pour vinegar into the jar over the carrots. Allow to cool completely to room temperature (glass risks breaking if subjected to rapid changes in temperature) and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

For the bao:

Bao should be light, fluffy, and chewy. The dough for the bao is kneaded, proofed, kneaded again, shaped, and proofed a second time before the bao are steamed.

1. Whisk flour, cornstarch, yeast, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add oil and mix to combine.

2. Add water a little at a time until the dough holds together in a smooth, non-sticky ball. You may need more or less than 2/3 cup.

3. Vigorously knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about ten minutes until very smooth, or use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment on medium speed for five to seven minutes. An insufficiently kneaded dough may lead to a pockmarked texture later on!

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel that's been dampened with warm water. Allow to rise for 40-90 minutes, until just doubled in size. Avoid overproofing the dough.

For the filling:

1. While the dough proofs, prepare your filling. Mix miso paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and agave in a large bowl. Grate the onion, garlic, ginger, sausage, apple, and celery, or pulse in a food processor, occasionally scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula, until a coarse crumb texture forms.

2. Heat 1 Tbsp of a neutral oil in a large pan on medium high. Add ground Sichaun peppercorns and fennel and allow to bloom for 30 seconds until fragrant.

3. Add sausage mixture and cook until browned, flipping once. Once cooked, remove the filling to the bowl with your sauce mixture.

4. Deglaze the pan with 1 tsp or so rice or white vinegar, and add any bits that had burnt and stuck to the bottom into the bowl with the rest of your filling. Mix to combine.

To steam the bao:

1. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another five minutes, until dough returns to its original size and appears very smooth in texture.

2. Roll dough out into a large cylinder and, using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, separate it into twelve even pieces. If you have a kitchen scale, you can use it to ensure that your pieces are all the same size--mine ended up weighing about 40g each.

3. Roll each piece of dough out into an oval of about 4" x 7" (10 x 18cm), covering the pieces you're not working with to prevent them from drying out. The dough should be moderately thin (4-5mm) without being translucent.

4. Lightly brush the top of the dough oval with a neutral oil and fold the dough over lengthwise to form a semi-circular shape. Place each shaped bun in a parchment-paper-lined bamboo steamer, or on a similarly prepared plate. (If you don't have a steamer, choose a plate or plates that will fit inside a wok or large pot--see steaming instructions.)

5. Allow the shaped buns to rise for another 20 minutes until slightly puffy. They will rise further while steaming.

6. Steam the bao. Place your bamboo steamer in the bottom of a wok or large pot, and fill the wok with enough cool water to cover the bottom rim of the steamer by 1/2". If you're using a metal steamer, tie a kitchen towel around its lid to prevent condensation from dipping back down onto the bao, which would jeopardize their rise and texture. If you don't have a steamer, place a small bowl in the bottom of a wok or large, deep pan or pot. Place the plate containing your bao on top of the bowl--the plate should fit inside your pot. Make sure that you can cover the plate and bao with a lid and leave some room to rise without the bao making contact with the lid. If your lid is domed, there is no need for a kitchen towel, since the condensation will run down towards the outer rim. If your lid is flat, tie a tea towel around it just as you would with a metal steamer. Fill your cooking vessel with 2 or so centimeters of cool water.

7. Raise the heat to high and allow the water to come to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cover your steamer or pot. Allow bao to steam for eight minutes and remove from the steamer (there is no need to wait five minutes to avoid collapsing, as some recipes suggest!).

To assemble:

1. Reheat filling in a large skillet. Serve lotus leaf buns alongside filling, lettuce, carrots, chopped peanuts, and other toppings and fill as desired.

[lafeeverte-sims]

4t2 (mostly spa day) downloads 🍃

hello! i’m actually extremely new to this - these are my first conversions - but i’ve been thinking about some builds and i needed some items that, as far as i know, haven’t been converted (i might be wrong - i’m using @sims4t2bb as a reference and i might have missed something). I needed them, didn’t have them, decided to try converting them, and then figured i might as well share if anyone else needs these as well. lmk if i should fix some egregious mistakes! (ideally with some tips as, again, i’m new to this)

💚 download: 💚 [MF] 💚 [SFS] 💚

credits: ea

EDIT 08/07/22: improved the bar so it (hopefully) appears in the catalogue and spawns a bartender, repo’d the (still deco) lockers to their open versions and cleaned the files up a bit to save some space, changed the blending mode on the decals to make them look a bit nicer and repo’d the small zen decal to the big one, removed the barstool as it wasn’t animated properly (you can grab another version by Michelle); the links are updated but if you only want the updated files go here: [LINK]

item list under the cut!

Build:

Floors:

Flowing Lines (Spa Day)

Now and Zen (Spa Day)

Polished Marble Tiles (Dine Out)

Walls:

A Concrete Idea (Spa Day)

Matchstick Magic (Spa Day)

Minimal Slats (Spa Day)

Perfect Horizontal Mozaic (Spa Day)

Perfect Vertical Mozaic (Spa Day)

Rectangular Flows (Spa Day)

Steamy Sideways Slats (Spa Day)

Steamy Slats (Spa Day)

Zentastic Tiles (Spa Day)

Columns:

Kyoshei Pillar of Truth (Spa Day)

Buy:

Comfort:

Calm and Collected Chair (armchair // Spa Day)

Happy Hands and Feet Chair (armchair and lounge chair // Spa Day)

The Posterior’s Respite (sofa // Spa Day)

Solitary Stool (armchair // Spa Day)

Why would anyone sit on this? By Zzbrft (bench // Spa Day)

Relax-N-Go Chair by Happy Hands and Feet Co. (armchair and lounge chair // Spa Day)

Relaxo Deluxe Chair by Happy Hands and Feet Co. (armchair and lounge chair // Spa Day)

Surfaces:

Nouveau Riche Niche Table (endtable // Spa Day)

Awesome Cube (endtable // Spa Day)

The Hollow (coffee table // Spa Day)

MoBev Cart (endtable // Vintage Glamour)

Lighting:

Illuminated Lotus (floor lamp // Spa Day)

Electronics:

Good Vibrations/Venue Wall Speaker: New Age (speaker // Spa Day)

Hobby:

Relax and Rewind by AmIZenYet (massage table// Spa Day)

Relax Away by AmIZenYet (massage table // Spa Day)

Decorative:

Juiced Up Wall Display (wall // Spa Day)

Zen Again Wall Decal (two sizes, wall // Spa Day)

Thumb Over Paint Splotch (wall // Spa Day)

Dry Leaf Lattice (wall // Dine Out)

House of the Rising Bun (wall // Dine Out)

Negative Spaces Sign (wall // Dine Out)

Fancy Flourish Sign (wall // Dine Out)

5 Leaves Sign (wall // Dine Out)

A Perfect Swirl (wall // Dine Out)

The Leaf Pile Prints (wall // Dine Out)

A Set Table (wall // Dine Out)

Luminous Sign (wall // Get to Work)

Sign of the Times (wall // Dine Out)

Bold and Beautiful Sign (wall // Dine Out)

Casually Cursive Sign (wall // Dine Out)

Vinoteca Bottle Rack (wall // Basegame)

Luxe Drink Tray (sculpture // Spa Day)

The Precarious (sculpture // Spa Day)

“Glaze and Grace” Glazed Vase (sculpture // Spa Day)

Nail Care Basics (sculpture, in plumbing // Spa Day)

Eww the Toilet (sculpture // Vintage Glamour)

Honeycomb Bottle Holder (sculpture // Basegame)

Cherry Cherry Twigs Vase (plant // Spa Day)

Mini-zen Planter (plant // Spa Day)

Zen Again Tile Treatment (rug // Spa Day)

Fresh Beginnings Faux Fur Rug (rug // Snowy Escape)

Laid Back Towel Rack (wall, in plumbing // Spa Day)

Slat Wall Room Divider (misc // Dine Out)

Arithmetically Challenged Divider (misc // Vintage Glamour)

Swaying Waves Wall Divider (misc // Get to Work)

Etherian Wooden Slatwall (misc // Spa Day)

Colour Block Locker Station (open and closed, deco only, sculpture // Spa Day)

The One with Everything Locker (open and closed, deco only, sculpture // Spa Day)

Onsen Locker (open and closed, deco only, sculpture // Snowy Escape)

Doc Sweet’s Luke-Warm Tonic Dispenser (sculpture, deco only, in misc appliances // Spa Day)

Doc Sweet's Luke-Warm Mini Dispenser (sculpture, deco only, in misc appliances // Spa Day)

General:

Ju-C L200 Liquid Beef Bar (bar // Spa Day)

some known errors include sims passing through the bar - i managed to fix that for a while, but then they couldn’t actually interact with the bar, so i guess i’ll have to learn more about this particular issue. another problem is that the barstools don’t tuck in under the counters/bar, and it’s something i’ve noticed with some other conversions - if anyone knows how i could fix that, i’d be grateful for the help 💚